


Soulmate AU

by wilwarindi



Series: Unfinished Tales of Pandora and the Borderlands [2]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Friendship, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, unfinished fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 09:18:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17743157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wilwarindi/pseuds/wilwarindi
Summary: [[Part of my collection of unfinished fics.]]What it says on the label: Soulmate identifying marks AU.





	Soulmate AU

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mordecry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mordecry/gifts).



> So, I'm a complete sucker for this trope. I love it to pieces. Especially the messy ones, where soulmate marks only add to uncertainty instead of making things easier.
> 
> So, here was my attempt at writing one. I didn't get far, but I had plans on where to go.

“That’s a big mark,” Brick said, pointing at Lilith’s arm.

“That’s not a mark. Or, it’s a Siren mark,” she corrected him, her voice a little clipped.

“Oh, sorry,” Brick said, looking confused.

They continued their way to meet T. K. Baha in silence for a few moments.

“You know what a Siren is, right?” Lilith eventually said.

“Not really. I mean, I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never met one before.”

Lilith smiled bitterly. “There aren’t many of us. Only six can exist at the same time, or that’s what I’ve always heard.”

“Have _you_ met one?”

Lilith paused. “No,” she admitted. “But the tattoos are part of it. That’s how you know you’re a Siren.”

“And what can you do?” Mordecai asked. “I mean, we’ve seen you disappear, but is that it?”

All of them, even Roland, gave her a curious look.

Lilith sighed. “I hear every Siren is different. Like, powers aren’t always the same. Mine is: I disappear, I just… It’s like I step into a different dimension? I’m still here, but people can’t see me or hurt me.” She shrugged. “It’s pretty useful. And I can make people get more hurt by fire and things like that. Or heal people.”

“That sounds useful,” Roland said. “So, you could heal us if we needed it?”

Lilith gave him a flat look. “If you don’t piss me off or double cross me, I might consider it,” she replied. “I can also set you on fire if you do.”

Roland lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Still don’t trust us?” Mordecai asked with a smirk.

“Do _you_ trust us?” Lilith shot back.

Mordecai laughed. “Fair enough.”

* * *

Sledge was dead and they were drunk when it came up again. It was always a matter of time before people who considered themselves friends talked about their soul mate marks.

“Atlas likes their soldiers without marks,” Roland said with a shrug. “Sometimes, when they get new soldiers young and they have marks, they take them off.”

“Which one are you?” Mordecai asked. The other two seemed as curious as he was.

“No mark.” Roland shrugged again. “Probably better that way. Wouldn't want to lead this life knowing I'm on the verge of breaking someone's heart all the time.”

There was a hint of sadness on his eyes that he just couldn't hide, though.

“C’mon, no one really knows how they work,” Mordecai said. “Eridian technology is weird. I've met people who didn't match, or who were blank, who were still happy.”

They weren't happy forever, most of the time, but that was beside the point. Who knew, maybe knowing they didn't share the same mark actually was the source of their problems.

“I'm blank too,” Lilith said. Her defiant tone didn't do a good job of hiding her defensiveness. “I don't know if it's a Siren thing, or maybe the Siren marks covered it.”

Roland gave her a look of deep understanding. Mordecai looked down at his bottle.

“You're still awesome,” Brick said, dropping a hand over Lilith’s shoulder

Lilith smiled at him.

“Thanks, Brick.” She rubbed at the corner of her eye and stood up. “I'll, uh, get more beer.”

She hastily disappeared in the direction of the kitchen.

“What about you?” Roland asked Brick.

“I have one. Haven't met him yet though.”

“ _‘Him_ ’?” Mordecai wondered with a smile - and tried to ignore the happy little twist in his stomach at the knowledge.

“I sure hope it's a ‘him’, or I'm gonna be really pissed,” Brick replied.

Mordecai chuckled. “What about a ‘they’?” he suggested.

Brick mulled that over. “Doubt it. But you never know, I guess.” He didn't sound very convinced. “You?”

“Got one. Don't really have a preference, though,” he added, looking at his bottle and trying to make it sound as casual as he could. “But I don't think that helps.”

“Why not? You're gonna be happy with whatever you get,” Brick said.

Mordecai huffed. “Way to make it sound romantic.”

Roland stood up. “I'm gonna go check on Lilith,” he said quietly.

They sat in silence for a long moment after Roland left.

“I didn't think _they_ were gonna be blanks,” Mordecai muttered.

“Why not?”

Mordecai shrugged awkwardly. “Appearances? They're both young and pretty.”

Brick snorted. “You really swing both ways.”

“I don't mean it like _that_ ,” Mordecai retorted in a caustic tone. “And Lilith is _way_ too young for me, anyway. But you kinda always expect young and pretty people to have someone.”

Brick hummed. “I'm not sure I like that you're implying _I'm_ not young or pretty,” he said. His eyes were full of mischief.

Mordecai’s heart stuttered, and he pushed down a surge of nervousness - he'd start to babble and probably mess things up unless he kept his cool.

He made an exaggeratedly thoughtful expression. “Well… ‘ _pretty_ ’ ain't exactly the best word to describe you,” he said, trying not to speak too loud and let the others hear him. “I'd go for ‘ _scary as hell_ ’ or ‘ _ruggedly handsome_ ’.”

Brick laughed.

“That the best you can come up with?” he teased. “‘ _Ruggedly handsome_ ’?”

“It's the truth,” Mordecai argued with a grin. “And I'm not hearing you trying to flatter me neither so, why should I?”

Brick smiled and looked away. Mordecai counted a few heartbeats before he started worrying he’d said the wrong thing. He probably had. Or that was just where that conversation ended and he should just let it go.

“What’s taking them so long?” Mordecai said, looking at the door and hating how clearly his disappointment showed in his own voice.

“I think ‘pretty’ does apply,” Brick said. “To you, I mean.”

Mordecai’s stomach swooped. He smiled, and thought of about ten things to say to that, ranging from sarcastic to downright sappy - but couldn’t settle on a single one.

“Fishing for compliments now?” he said eventually.

Brick shook his head. “Just bein’ honest.”

Mordecai grinned. “Alright. I... might have toned it down a little,” he admitted. “The ‘ruggedly handsome’ part.”

Brick stood up from his place on the floor and sat down next to him. Mordecai pushed down a rush of nervousness and was mostly successful, until Brick’s hand came to rest on his knee.

Brick hesitated. “You haven’t met yours, have you?”

Mordecai shook his head. “Nah. I don’t think I want to,” he replied.

Brick frowned. “Why not?”

Mordecai tried to clear his thoughts. “Roland has a point: we’re Vault Hunting. On _Pandora_. It’s a shitty galaxy, Brick; wouldn’t want someone using that against me.” He traced his fingers over the back of Brick’s hand even as he said it, though.

It was true, of course, but his reluctance only grew every time he found someone he wanted only to find they weren’t his match.

“Where’s you mark?”

Mordecai pointed to his left temple, right over his eyebrow. “Here. Really subtle.” Brick’s hand rose to his face, and Mordecai moved his head away. “Don’t.”

“Isn’t that easier?” Brick wondered. “Like a band aid.”

Mordecai frowned. “No, it’s not. Things always go to shit right after.” He shook his head. “Whoever decided this was a good idea was a fucking idiot.” Brick sat back a little. “What, it hasn’t ruined things for you?”

Brick shrugged. “Gonna find out eventually.”

“Yeah. But let me have this, for a little while.” There was a brief pause. “I mean, if you want to.”

Brick leaned in close, but not quite close enough to kiss him. “Yeah, I do.”

Mordecai kissed him. He had to crane his neck back, which wasn't usual or comfortable. Brick’s lips were warm.

“Where's your mark?” Mordecai asked, his breath ghosting over Brick’s mouth.

“Back,” Brick said, pointing with his head over his shoulder.

“Upper or lower?”

Brick reached around him, searched for a moment, then tapped the point over Mordecai’s right shoulder blade. Mordecai squirmed for a second, then pressed back against the touch.

“Upper.”

“Must be nice,” Mordecai muttered, one hand coming up to touch the scar over Brick’s lip. “Not having to cover it.”

“That why you wear that mask?” Brick asked with a smile.

“It's not for the ugly ass tan lines.”

“So… what, you're not gonna take that off?”

Mordecai grinned. “Bit eager, are we? I can cover it, it's not big.”

Brick frowned. “I ain't even seen your eyes.”

Mordecai paused. “There's two of them,” he said. Brick laughed. “And they're dark.”

Brick’s thumb traced his lower lip. “I can take your word for it, but don't you wanna show me?”

Mordecai laughed, warmth spreading through him. “I kinda do, yeah.” He kissed Brick again and stood up. “C’mon.”

They didn't see a trace of Roland and Lilith, and Mordecai wasn't at all surprised.

He locked himself in the bathroom for a minute and took the mask off. He groaned at the ever present tan lines on his face from the mask and the fierce Pandora sun. They weren't glaringly obvious, but they weren't hard to miss either if you paid attention. He should find something else to cover his face. There were adhesive patches, not very different from band aids, meant to cover soul mate marks and he always had some at hand - damn the fact that he had a mark that was very hard to hide.

Not for the first time, Mordecai thought he should get it removed - but he never did. No matter how much he complained about it, erasing it felt like a transgression.

Mordecai tried to put his mess of a hair in some order and gave himself a smile on the mirror that didn't come out nearly as confident as he intended.

Brick was fidgeting a little, restless as ever, but he stopped when Mordecai stepped out of the bathroom and gave him an awkward smile.

Brick’s eyes stopped on the patch for a long second before studying his face. He grinned. “Yeah, definitely pretty.”

Mordecai suspected he was blushing.

“Flatterer,” he muttered. Then added: “See? Two eyes. Brown. Nothing special.”

**Author's Note:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Leave a comment, maybe? IDK


End file.
